About two months after my surgery I had a small blockage. Although I didn’t see that much change in output, I had some pain and just the general sense that something wasn’t quite right. I called my GI doc and she told me to stop eating food, but to drink high-sugary drinks, and specifically Coca-Cola. Permission to drink a Coke with no guilt! After a couple of hours I was feeling much better, but held off on food that whole day, just to be safe.

My surgeon told me that I could eat anything I wanted just after my surgery, and I’ve heard that from other patients, too. I guess you can…but be smart. If you have an ileostomy you could have a lot of swelling after surgery, so I always refer to the Diet and Nutrition Guide at Ostomy.org. This is a common sense guide to follow, and won’t get you into any problems. (By the way, I love the graphic in this guide that shows where nutrients are absorbed in the small intestine). I’m still quite careful, even tho I now eat most cooked vegetables.  I still avoid raw vegees, black beans, whole kernel corn, nuts and mushrooms.

Earlier this month, Shield Healthcare posted a great video on this topic, featuring their Lifestyle Specialist, Laura Cox. Laura is great, and all her videos are useful and simple to understand. It was a very early video of a younger Laura changing her pouch, with a good sense of humor, that convinced me that life with a bag wouldn’t be so bad.